Regional Development Minister Shane Jones said he was expecting some flak from supporters of motorway upgrades in the regions, such as the project to get four lanes to Whangarei.
"I understand the pressure our civic leaders are under, but my plea to them is that there are a host of other roading priorities in Northland that should not be overlooked," he said. He had been shocked by the number of bridges used by logging and Fonterra trucks that needed attention, while more passing lanes were needed in the region.
Mr Bain said Mr Jones counted himself as a Northlander, as did Kelvin Davis, Winston Peters, Willow-Jean Prime and Shane Reti.
"They travel up and down that highway, and will understand its importance. I would expect all the Northland MPs to push for this important economic artery for Northland," he said.
In February all four Northland council leaders presented a joint statement saying there was plenty of merit in the proposed widened highway between Northland and Warkworth. They said they would rather government spent more on that vital main link than on regional roads, but they'd like regional roads to be better funded too.
The projected cost of four-laning SH1 between Warkworth and Whangarei was just short of $2 billion, while the 22km stretch from Whangarei to the Ruakaka roundabout, which could be completed within five years, would cost $400 million-plus.
